China attracts tourists thanks to visa exemption, number of entries increases by more than 50%

The expanded visa-free policy has helped the number of foreigners entering China surge by more than 50% in the first half of 2025, contributing to boosting international tourism and trade.

A tourist takes a photo in Quanzhou, Fujian province - Photo: XINHUA

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) on July 16 quoted a new announcement from the Chinese Immigration Administration saying that the country's efforts to expand its visa-free policy continued to show clear results in the first half of 2025.

Specifically, in the first 6 months of the year, 38 million foreigners entered and exited China, an increase of 30% over the same period in 2024. Notably, the number of visa-free entries increased by more than 50%, showing the strong attraction of flexible visa policies.

Previously, China only allowed visitors to transit without a visa for 24 hours, if they had valid documents and continued their journey to a third country. Starting in 2010, some cities such as Xiamen and Kunming adopted a visa-free transit policy for 72-144 hours. However, visitors were only allowed to visit within the local area.

However, the big turning point came in late 2023, when Beijing - after three years of strict "Zero Covid" policies - began expanding visa exemptions to restore tourism, stimulate the domestic economy and achieved positive goals.

Following Beijing’s success, the Chinese government has increased the maximum stay from 72-144 hours to 240 hours (10 days) since December 2023. This policy has now been implemented in 24 provinces, allowing visitors to move freely across the country, instead of being limited to a single city as before.

In addition, under the new regulations, visa-exempt visitors are allowed to participate in activities such as tourism , business or academic exchange. However, activities such as work, study or journalism still require separate visas and prior approval.

According to SCMP , in the coming time, China will continue to issue more flexible and diverse entry and residence policies to create more favorable conditions for foreigners to visit and work.

As of June 2025, the 240-hour visa-free transit policy has been applied to 55 countries, including most European countries, the US, Canada, Australia, and most recently Indonesia.

In particular, China has also unilaterally exempted visas for citizens of 47 countries, allowing them to stay for up to 30 days for tourism or business without a visa.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trung-quoc-hut-khach-nho-mien-visa-luot-nhap-canh-tang-hon-50-20250717162858476.htm